Wire-fence clamp.



F. T. WERNIMONT.

WIRE FENCE CLAMP.

APPLIGATION FILED 0012s, 1912.

1,1 22,829, Patented Dec. 29, 1914 W/TZl/ZlSlSfi' ZZVI ZAZTUK' THE NORRIS PETERS (20.. PHOTO LITHO.. wAsmNcmN. n r? UNITED STATES PATENT @FFTQE.

FRANK T. WERNIMONT, 0F MONTICELLO, IOWA, ASSIGNOB T0 HALL MANUFACTURING 00., 0F MONTICELLO, IOWA.

WIRE-FENCE CLAMP.

Application filed October 28, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK T. WERNI- MONT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Monticello, in the county of Jones and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful lVire-Fence Clamp, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to means whereby a portion of a woven (or other) wire fence may be clamped and held while stretching it taut, and, if desired, after its securement to a post.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a more simple device of this charact-er than has been heretofore produced, which will firmly clamp and securely hold the fence from slipping or sagging.

Another object is to provide a novel combination of elements of simple character, the binding one of which may be almost instantly engaged with or disengaged from the other members. And in this connection it is an object to provide a device of such construction that a very slight loosening of the retaining, nuts (without their removal) will permit said binding element to be disengaged therefrom, whereupon the fence may be instantly removed, even though the securing bolts pass through the meshes thereof.

It is an object to provide a device of great simplicity which is more facile and efficient in its operation, and more economical in construction and therefore to the purchaser, than clamps of similar nature heretofore produced.

It is an object to provide a device of the character described, a part of which only may be attached to fence posts, buildings such as barns, poultry houses, etc., whereby a portable inclosure may be readily constructed.

It is an object to provide novel combined means whereby the binding elements may be drawn very tightly together.

The invention accordingly consists in structural details, and in the arrangement, relationship and combinations of the parts hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved clamp, a portion thereof broken away to show the placement of the fence wire; Fig. 2, a top plan; Fig. 3, a longitudinal, central section; Fig. 4, a front eleva- Specifieation of Letters Patent.

1 posts.

Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

Serial No. 728,233.

tion, the binding element removed; Fig. 5, a perspective detail of one of the lockingbolts; and Fig. 6, an end view, the parts shown in one of the operations of assembling.

Coming now to a detailed description of said drawings, in which the same numeral uniformly designates the same part, 2 in dicates a wood section which for convenience sake I shall herein term a standard and which may be of any preferred cross section and may, in some of the applications of my improvements, constitute one of the It is provided with transversely arranged apertures 3.

designates a binding element-a clamping rib, approximately an oblong rectangle in its cross section and provided with countersunk apertures 4 for the reception and passage of wood-screws 5, the threads of which engage the standards 2 to hold it securely thereto, and the heads of which seat in the countersinks to provide a flush face. The rib is provided also with apertures 9 for the reception of looking or securing bolts, 6, each of which has preferably a halfround head 7 a threaded shank 8 adapted to pass through the aperture 9, an angular and preferably square neck 10, greater in its cross sectional area than the area of the shank 8, and an unthreaded circular portion 11 intermediate the portions 8 and 10.

12 indicates a binding element comprising a base or body portion 13, having flanges 1 providing a channel 15 in which the rib a preferably wholly lies. Its base is pro vided with slots 16 of very little greater width than the neck 10 of the bolt, whereby it may slide therein but is locked thereby from turning, and said slot terminates at its lower end in an enlarged opening 17 of sufiicient width to permit the passage of the bolt head therethrough.

18 designates a fragment of woven-wire fence; and 19 a nut, both of ordinary construction.

The operation and uses are as follows: The rib i is first secured to the post or standard 2 by the screws 5. The shanks of the bolts 6 are then slipped through the apertures 9 and 3, and the nut 19 threaded loosely on said shank. The fence sec tion is then positioned. The parts above described will thus occupy the relative positions shown in Fig. 6, with the fencewire meshes straddling the smooth circular portion 11 of the bolt. The binder 12 is then positioned with the enlarged openings 17 over the heads 7 andpressed firmly'down to bend the wires to conform to the similar shapesof the opposed faces of the binding elements 4 and 12, whereupon the latter is slipped downwardly to cause the square stem 10 to enter the slots 17, the bolt head being restrained by the material at the sides of the slots. The nuts 19 are then drawn taut, and this may be done with great effectiveness by reason of the square stems 10 being prevented by the slot-walls from turning.

The rib 4: being of such size that it lies wholly within the channel 15, the flanges 1e are, in and by the act of turning the nuts very taut, drawn with great force down against the wires to compress them against and, if sutiicient force be used, slightly into the yielding wood of the standard 2, whereby said wires are held in three. effective ways, towit: by the opposed faces of the opposed binding elements 2 and 12; by being bent and bound by the corners thereof; and by the compression exerted on them by the flanges 14c which, it will be observed, are oppositely flared or directed and thus adapted to resist draft on the wire from either direction.

To remove the wire it is necessary only to slightly loosen the nuts '19, whereupon the binder 5 may be removed by sliding it upwardly until the bolt heads coincide with the apertures 17 and-then slipping it there over, whereupon the other elements may be slipped from off the wires, or vice versa.

Because of its extreme simplicity, and of the facility and rapidity with which it may be manipulated, the invention will be of great utility in portable fences, for the ribs may be removably secured (as shown) by the screws 5 to posts, or the standards themselves may be used as posts, and the wire such be used) and moved from place to place. Again, the ribs 4; may be secured to corners and sides of buildings such as poultry houses, stables, animal. pens and the Copies of this patent may be obtained for like, and a confining inclosure readily constructed by the mere placement of two outer posts or two standards 2 equipped with the principal parts of my improvement. A construction of this character may be readily moved about as desired.

achieved in a more facile, efficient and eco nomical manner than heretofore.

Having thus set forth the construction and operation, the purposes and advantages of my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent the following, to-wit:-

A fence clamp including a standard, a rib of greater width than thickness removably secured upon the standard, bolts passed through the rib and standard and having their headed terminals projecting beyond the outer surface of the rib, and a U-shaped binding element having an outer face of i'naterially greater width than the similar dimension of the rib and arranged in par allelism to the outer face of the rib, the side edges of the element being at right angles to the face, the hollow portion of said element being equal in depth to the thickness of the rib with the side walls of said hollow portions disposed at an angle to the forward face thereof, said binding element being formed with key-hole slots to cooper ate with the bolts, and means for drawing the bolts through the rib and standard to force the binding element toward the rib.

In witness whereof I hereunto sign my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK T. WERNIMONT.

\Vitnesses R. C. STIRHN, F. R. THOMPSON.

five centseach, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, I). C." 

